The moon hung high in the sky, casting a soft silver glow over the campsite. Most of the students had already retreated to their tents, leaving only faint murmurs and the distant crackling of the dying campfire. Lumine, Kazuha, and Venti sat near their tent, enjoying the calm after the chaotic roast battle.
Scaramouche, once again in his cat form (Kuni), perched himself on Lumineâs lap, his tail flicking rhythmically. Albedo was organizing his sleeping bag nearby, his sharp eyes flickering toward the surrounding woods every now and then.
Suddenly, a faint, strange noise echoed from the forest.
Thud⦠scratch⦠tapâ¦
Lumine froze mid-stroke on Kuniâs fur. âDid⦠did anyone else hear that?â
Ventiâs face lit up with a mischievous grin. âOh nooo~ Itâs the ghost of Camp Hiyori!â He wiggled his fingers dramatically.
âVenti, this is not the time,â Albedo said calmly, though his gaze was locked on the dark tree line.
Another sound followedâthis time louder. Thump⦠tap⦠skrrrrrrch!
Kazuha sat up straight, his usual composed demeanor faltering slightly. âThat⦠doesnât sound like an animal.â
Kuni (Scaramouche) jumped off Lumineâs lap and landed softly on the ground, his fur bristling slightly as his ears twitched.
Lumine glanced at him. âKuni⦠what is it?â
The cat let out a low growl before darting toward the edge of the forest.
âHeyâwait!â Lumine stood up quickly, her voice hushed but alarmed.
---
The Investigation Begins
The group exchanged wary glances before reluctantly following Scaramouche (in cat form) toward the forest. Amber, noticing the movement, jogged over to join them.
âWhatâs going on? Are we investigating a mystery?â she asked, her voice a little too excited.
âSomethingâs making noises in the woods,â Albedo explained.
âCreepy noises,â Venti added, clutching his marshmallow stick like a sword.
The group cautiously entered the tree line, their flashlights flickering as they swept the area. The noises had stopped, but the oppressive silence was somehow worse.
Snap!
âAHHHââ Venti screamed, spinning around and pointing his marshmallow stick at⦠a squirrel.
âVenti, please,â Albedo said, pinching the bridge of his nose.
Lumine knelt down beside Kuni, who was staring intensely at a nearby bush. âKuni, do you see something?â
The cat let out a sharp hiss.
The bush rustled.
Everyone froze.
---
The Big Reveal
With a dramatic rustle, something burst out of the bush.
âBOO!â
âAHHHHHH!â Venti practically jumped into Kazuhaâs arms, Amber shrieked, and even Albedo flinched slightly.
Emerging from the bush was⦠Itto and Gorou.
Itto, with twigs sticking out of his hair and a goofy grin, waved both hands. âGotcha!â
Gorou sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. âI told you this was a bad ideaâ¦â
Amber glared at them. âYou two?! You were the ones making all that noise?!â
Itto chuckled nervously. âWell, yeah! We thought itâd be hilarious to spook everyone.â
Venti, still clutching Kazuha, muttered, âI nearly ascended to the next life because of you twoâ¦â
Kazuha gently set Venti back on his feet, a faint smile playing on his lips. âThat was⦠certainly effective.â
Lumine crossed her arms, looking at Kuni (Scaramouche), who was staring daggers at Itto with narrowed indigo eyes.
Itto scratched his head. âUh⦠whyâs the cat looking at me like itâs planning my demise?â
Kuni let out a sharp meow, turning dramatically and padding back toward the campsite.
---
Back at the Campfire
The group returned to the campfire, with Itto and Gorou receiving a healthy dose of scolding from Amber and Albedo.
Lumine sat back down with Kuni curling up on her lap again, still glaring in Ittoâs direction.
âWell,â Lumine sighed, stroking the annoyed catâs head, âat least it wasnât something actually dangerous.â
Venti flopped dramatically onto his sleeping bag. âI donât care what happens next. Iâm sleeping with one eye open tonight.â
Amber chuckled. âHonestly, thatâs fair.â
The fire crackled softly, and the eerie noises were replaced by laughter and banter once more.
But from Lumineâs lap, Kuniâs tail flicked sharply. Even if the culprit this time had been Itto and Gorou⦠something about those earlier noises still didnât sit right with him.